10 Unexpected Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

HOW ANXIETY IMPACTS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM: THE HIDDEN CONNECTION

Anxiety isn’t just a mental health issue—it has profound effects on your entire body, including your immune system. While the common symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat and muscle tension, are well-documented, many people don’t realize how chronic stress and anxiety can weaken their immune defenses, making them more susceptible to physical illness.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND ANXIETY AND IMMUNITY

When you experience anxiety, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, triggering the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. In small doses, this response is helpful—it prepares you to react to danger.

However, when anxiety becomes chronic, these stress hormones stay elevated for extended periods, which can suppress immune function.

Key ways anxiety affects the immune system:

• Increased inflammation – A 2017 study suggests that chronic anxiety can lead to elevated inflammatory markers in the body, contributing to conditions like digestive issues, joint pain, and autoimmune reactions. Inflammation can also increase the risk for a host of physical illnesses, including heart disease, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.
• Reduced white blood cell production – White blood cells are essential for fighting infections. Long-term stress decreases their count, making it harder for your body to combat viruses and bacteria.
• Delayed healing – Studies suggest that chronic stress slows the body’s ability to heal wounds and recover from injuries.

10 SURPRISING PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY

1. Tense muscles

Back aches, neck pain, and other forms of muscle tension are common in people with anxiety and panic disorders, according to decades of research. Feeling persistently fearful, worried, or anxious leads to tightness throughout the body, contributing to physical aches and pains.

If you’re experiencing frequent body aches, joint pain, or other issues that aren’t responding to standard treatments, you may want to consider that an emotional issue like anxiety may be involved.

2. Teeth grinding

Teeth grinding is common sign of anxiety. One study in the Journal of Research in Personality suggests that teeth grinding is more common in those who suffer from anxiety and is more severe during heightened states of anxiousness and stress. It is common to crack your teeth and damage your jaw because of teeth grinding.

Throughout the day, pay attention to your jaw. Is it tense? Are your muscles tight? Are you clenching your teeth? It is common to do this while asleep and could result in waking up with a headache or sore jaw.

3. Brittle Nails

Horizontal grooves across your nails—known as Beau’s Lines—can be a subtle physical sign of anxiety. These ridges may appear when stress disrupts normal nail growth. On their own, they may not raise red flags, but when combined with other symptoms, they could point to the physical toll anxiety is taking on your body.

4. More colds

When your mind is wracked with worry, it lowers your body’s ability to fight off germs. That’s why people with anxiety are more likely to catch a cold or flu bug. If you routinely get more colds than others, or you can’t fight off the flu, it could be a sign of underlying anxiety.

5. Loss of libido

An article published in Psychiatric Times suggests that anxiety can hinder sexual arousal and notes that panic disorder is correlated with sexual aversion. When a “fight or flight” response is activated, libido decreases.

While there could be other reasons behind a low libido, such as hormonal changes or relationship concerns, anxiety can markedly suppress your sexual desire.

6. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

The gut-brain connection is real and powerful. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion, and the brain is reactive to a disturbance in the gut. In fact, there is a two-way relationship between our gut and brain.

Anxiety can wreak havoc on digestion, and IBS causes issues such as bloating, constipation, loose stools, and intolerance to a wide variety of foods. According to a meta-analysis, people with anxiety are three times more likely to suffer from IBS.

7. High blood pressure

Research published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment suggests an association between hypertension and anxiety. High blood pressure can be dangerous if left untreated and has its own symptoms such as headaches and blurry or double vision.

It is important to check your blood pressure regularly as it changes several times throughout the day.

8. Shortness of breath

The feeling of being unable to catch your breath is common in people with anxiety. It can increase nervousness as it is a frightening sensation to feel like you can’t breathe. This can trigger a cycle that is hard to break once it begins and can lead to a panic attack.

Notice whether you’re taking shallow or deep breaths throughout the day, not just when you feel a heightened state of anxiety. Anytime you find that you’re taking shallow breaths, make it a point to inhale more deeply and exhale more fully.

9. Weight changes

Anxiety can mess with your weight. Some research shows a correlation between anxiety, weight gain, and obesity. Eating sweets and other processed “comfort” foods not only intensifies symptoms of anxiety but can also lead to irritability and fluctuations in energy levels.

Related: 5 Worst Foods for Anxiety

Conversely, other scientific findings indicate that anxiety can act as an appetite suppressant and increase metabolism, but not in an advantageous way. People who lose weight as a result of anxiety suffer as they often aren’t getting enough nourishment.

10. Brain changes

Anxiety is associated with changes in activity levels within the brain. Brain SPECT imaging, which measures blood flow and activity in the brain, shows increased activity in the basal ganglia in people with anxiety.